Seoul: 4th Thursday of every month at the Yongsan Family Health Centre on the 3rd
floor in a brand new building right next to the Hannam Dong Jumin Centre
(한남동 주민 센터) from 11am-1pm. More info can be found at MMKorea Nursing Support. You can also contact Melanie, Leila, or Sheila.

I offer
breastfeeding support that can be done in person, on the phone, or
via Skype. I can help with latch, positioning, knowing whether your
baby is hungry or getting enough milk, and common breastfeeding problems.

much more information about general pregnancy, birthing,
breastfeeding, postpartum, and parenting issues as well as Korea
specific information can be found on the resources page

About Me

I've
been involved in the birthing field since early 2013. I am certified as
a childbirth educator, postpartum doula, breastfeeding counselor, and
Dunstan Baby Language Educator. Check out my about me to learn more about my training and experience.You can also see what people have said about my blog and services.

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

This documentary follows four women and the different choices they make to birth their babies. It focuses on extremes, hence the name "All or Nothing". From a home birth with a midwife, a home birth in water, an unassisted birth aka a free birth, and a planned C-section you'll see why they made the choices they made. Other topics discussed are . . .

Monday, 7 December 2015

Home births aren't that common in Korea and only a few doctors and midwives who do them speak English. If you're going to have a home birth, read the information in The Essential Homebirth Guide. It will definitely help you and your partner out.

The Korean Midwives Association has a handful of midwives who usually don't speak English, but are willing to do home births and travel. Below you can find a list of doctors and midwives that speak English. They are all in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, however, they may be willing to travel. Here is more information about birthing centers and hospitals in Korea.

Some places accept Korean health insurance. I also wrote an extensive article on Tricare. Keep in mind that Tricare does not cover home births overseas.You will be paying completely out of pocket if you have Tricare and want to have a home birth in Korea.

They do home births in Seoul only. Home births are 1.2 mil and are only done
in Seoul.
All prices are with Korean National Insurance. If you don't have KNI,
it will be more expensive. Expect to pay about 3 mil.

Saturday, 28 November 2015

Natural birthing has really taken off in the past few years in Korea. Doulas have become more and more popular among both foreigners and Koreans. Doctors are seeing the benefits of doing less interventions if possible and are even opening up new natural birthing clinics. In addition, they are realizing the importance of childbirth education for both moms and dads. Breastfeeding is lagging a bit behind due to beliefs and culture, but there are still staunch proponents of breastfeeding infants and toddlers. Here's some information to help you enter the birthing profession.

Enroll in a Course
Many people go through CBI (Childbirth International) since the requirements can be met while living overseas. CBI doesn't require doulas to renew their certification either. There are other options as well, such as DONA. You can find a more comprehensive list here.Join the Korea Doula Facebook Group
Once you enroll in a course you can join the Korea Doula group. It's for childbirth educators, breastfeeding counselors, birth doulas, and postpartum doulas. People come from a variety of backgrounds and live all over Korea, though most are in Seoul. Be sure to message one of the admin and explain why you want to join.

Joining the group will allow you to connect with other doulas and shadow their births so that you can fulfill all the requirements for your certification. You will also learn how much to charge, legal issues about working as a doula, contracts, how to choose a back-up doula, and more. There are fewer breastfeeding counselors and childbirth educators than doulas, but you should still be able to get observe classes if necessary. The group is very close-knit and helpful.

Get Clients
There are a number of Facebook groups where you can find clients. Some forbid advertising, so be careful. You might be able to PM people. Word of mouth is definitely the best. Once your name is out there, people will start to recommend you.

Saturday, 14 November 2015

Breast exams aren't normally a part of a woman's annual exam in Korea. Some obgyns will do them, but most don't and you might have to go elsewhere. I'm sure you already know that you should be doing monthly BSE (breast self exams). In Korea they recommend Asian women to start getting mammograms at age 40 and western women to start at age 50.

I went earlier this year because I found a lump in my left breast. I went to the doctor in the US and they said it might be a cyst and were worried because it was big. They also found one in my right breast. I don't have American insurance and the mammogram alone would have run me $1000 and they said it could take a few weeks for the results. I decided to just wait until I got back to Korea.

Once I got back I went to SCH (Soonchunhyun) Hospital in Hannam near Itaewon. With NHS the mammogram was only about 23,000. NHS covered the other half of it. The sonogram was not covered and it was 170,000.

I had heard that mammograms were extremely painful, but it really didn't hurt that much at all. It was uncomfortable because my whole side and face was pressed up against the machine but it really didn't hurt. They took two X-rays of each side: one horizontally and another diagonally. It was fast and over in minutes. I now regret having had a mammogram now that I know how harmful they are and that there are facts against using them. The sonogram was painless. They just put some gel on you and run the machine up and down your breasts and in your armpits. I got the results right away and they were negative: no cysts, nothing.

If you're looking to get a breast exam you can try going to a large hospital near you. You can also call the Global Centers and they can tell you if there are any small clinics near you that offer this service. If you find anything it's best to go ASAP.

Sunday, 8 November 2015

Massage has been proven to have many benefits both mental and physical. These benefits can be extended to infants, toddlers, and children as well. It's never too late to start massaging your baby. Some parents make it part of their bedtime routine. Infants aren't able to sit still for long and massages may only last five minutes or so. However, even this short time provides lots of benefits.

According to the IAIM (International Association of Infant Massage), Loving Touch, and Infant Massage USA, infant massage can help by stimulating, relaxing, providing relief, and helping with bonding. Below you can find some of the mental and physical benefits of infant massage. Buy from Amazon

Keep in mind that as with other massage therapist specialisations, there is no licensing, certification, or verification to teach infant massage. Those who are already massage therapists are legally allowed to call themselves infant massage therapists. Those are aren't massage therapists can only legally call themselves infant massage instructors and cannot touch other people's babies. They can only demonstrate on dolls or their own baby.

Working with your child
If you are unable to find an English speaking speech therapist, you might want to try working with your child at home. The book, The Teaching of Talking has lots of good information.

Thursday, 15 October 2015

Many parents ask this question and there are a lot of factors that come into play. The good news is that by the time your child is in kindergarten they will sleep through the night. (I'm not even kidding.) Babies aren't meant to sleep through the night, and research backs this up, for a variety of reasons.

Babies enter sleep throughREM sleep meaning that it's easier for them to wake up. They also have more REM cycles than adults which means they are more likely to wake up. The fact that they wake up so often is due to a survival mechanism.

No one knows what causes SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) but one theory says that babies simply forget to breath. While this sounds ridiculous to us as adults, look at babies and you can see how helpless they are. They can't even burp by themselves. This theory says that if a baby wakes up more often they are less likely to forget to breath, which is another reason why babies aren't meant to sleep through the night.

Another reason babies wake up a lot is because they have small stomachs. Food is digested quickly and they want more. Breastmilk is more easily digested than formula and breastfed babies may wake up more often.

Babies know that their moms are essential to their survival for food, safety, comfort, and warmth. They wake up because they want to make sure their mom is close to them.

Officially "sleeping through the night" is when your baby sleeps for 5 hours straight. Remember that infants should be waking up every 3-4 hours to feed, so this isn't likely to happen until your baby is around 5-6 months old. With our parenting skills being put under the microscope due to social media, parents often feel pressured to lie about their baby sleeping through the night. Stop comparing yourself and your baby to others. It's simply not fair. Some people find that when they co-sleep with their baby their baby wakes up more, while for others the opposite is true. You'll have to find what works for you.

There are lots of different ways to put a baby to sleep. Babies seem to like rocking, bouncing, white noise (there are apps and some people try hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, or tennis balls in the washer), singing, car rides, etc. Here's a cute video showing how one parent uses a tissue to get a baby to sleep. The key is to creating a routine and sticking to it if at all possible. Here are some recommended books to help get you started.

Some parents are more strict than others and put their baby on a schedule as soon as they get home, while others are more laid-back. For me personally, my 4 year old has slept through the night (8+ hours) twice. Once when she was jet-lagged at 9 months old and once when she was sick at 3.5 years old. I know eventually she will sleep through the night and that this is just a phase. A long phase at that, but still a phase. I also know I'll miss it when she no longer needs me to comfort her. Enjoy every moment, both the easy and the hard, because they really do grow up fast.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

Monday, 12 October 2015

There are so many books out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Here are some books that consistently get good
reviews. The Book Depository has free shipping to Korea. What the Book in Itaewon can get most books for you. Amazon
might be a good option if you have someone coming to visit or can buy
the Kindle version of the book. The descriptions are based off of
Amazon's descriptions.

Choosing Naia: A Family's Journey
Written by Mitchell Zuckoff

This book discusses one family's journey through genetic counseling, medical jargon, and disability rights. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Raising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability, and DiscoveryWritten by Rachel Adams

Rachel had a perfect life: a wonderful husband, and a two-year-old, a Manhattan apartment, and a tenured job at Columbia University. Everything changed after the birth of her second child. Diagnosed with Down syndrome, she knew that her life would never been the same. She talks about the first three years of his life and how she has changed because of her experiences. She also discusses social prejudice, disability policy, genetics, prenatal testing, and inclusive education. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Uncommon Fathers: Reflections on Raising a Child with a DisabilityEdited by Donald J. Meyer

A collection of essays written from the father's perspective. They discuss how the birth and life of their child has changed their lives. It shows how disabilities affect families. The stories are written from the heart and discuss both the positive and negative issues. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Most people end up over-packing when they go to hospital or birthing center to have a baby. That's good though, because it's nice to have something in case you need it. Yeon and Nature has a sample packing list of what you could bring.

One thing I recommend is making a list and keeping it near your bags. This way you can ensure that you won't forget anything, like chargers for your phone. You can make a list in the third trimester just in case you need to go to the hospital earlier than planned. Pack your bags around 37 weeks. This is when a baby is full-term.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

Saturday, 3 October 2015

Created by Gail Tully, CPM, Spinning Babies is a technique that allows babies to get into the correct position for birth. By focusing on lengthening muscles, balancing your body, and getting to know your pelvis you can help get your baby into the optimal position. Spinning Babies can help breech babies and backwards facing babies flip without invasive methods.

By practicing these exercises daily you're more likely to have an easier labor and birth. Renowned midwife, Gail Tully, offers practical know-how for birthing naturally in today’s modern civilization. Spinning babies is famous and rightly so for having helped thousands of women around the globe. You won’t learn this approach anywhere else! This 120 minute video has information about:

Avoiding unwanted and unexpected cesarean surgery for lack of progress

Using the Fantastic Four balancing activities for pregnancy and labor

Tips for flipping breech or transverse babies in pregnancy

Engaging baby by early labor to shorten labor and avoid surgery

Overcoming a posterior or transverse arrest

How to tell if labor is progressing normally or has a stall that you can resolve!

Friday, 25 September 2015

There are so many books out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Here are some books that consistently get good
reviews. The Book Depository has free shipping to Korea. What the Book in Itaewon can get most books for you. Amazon
might be a good option if you have someone coming to visit or can buy
the Kindle version of the book. The descriptions are based off of
Amazon's descriptions.

Do Fathers Matter?: What Science is Telling Us About the Parent We've OverlookedWritten by Paul Raeburn

Traditionally fathers have been authoritative figures who provide for their children financially. New studies show how fathers changes when their partner is pregnant, how they affect their child's speech, if a child can influence their father's health, and more. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Great Expectations: Becoming a Dad: The First Three YearsWritten by John C. Carr LCSW

The author is a social worker and psychotherapist who discusses all the how-to's as well as the emotional side of being a father. He also talks about the crucial impact a father has on his child and why they need to be there from the start. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

When I First Held You: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk About Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experience of Fatherhood
Written by Brian Gresko

Becoming a father is a life-changing event. This book contains stories about deciding to have children, birthing, tantrums, and letting a teen out into the world. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Baby Fairs are great since you can see and try many things you might want to buy for your baby. Some fairs have an entrance fee, though usually if you pre-register, it's waived. Prices range widely for the items. My suggestion would be to try the items out and then buy them at home or have friends or family ship or bring them to you. You should also definitely consider a baby registry. You can then have people ship you the items, go get them when you visit, or have family bring them when they visit.

Even if you don't buy anything from the fair, it's still nice to be able
to see the item ahead of time and sometimes you can get samples. Some
booths even give out generous gifts.
Many people order online or have friends or family members bring things
when they come to visit since it's usually cheaper that way.

Below you can find links to information about baby fairs for specific years. For more information check out their websites or call them. All of them are held in big malls and should have English speakers. If they don't, call 120 and they will do a three-way call and translate for you. Or you could try Go Wonderfully.

Thursday, 17 September 2015

If you're trying to avoid a C-section or trying for a VBAC, choosing a good hospital or clinic is key. VBACs aren't common in Korea, though more doctors are willing to let women "try" for one. Below you can find some other articles written about VBACs or C-sections.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

There are so many books out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Here are some books that consistently get good
reviews. The Book Depository has free shipping to Korea. What the Book in Itaewon can get most books for you. Amazon
might be a good option if you have someone coming to visit or can buy
the Kindle version of the book. The descriptions are based off of
Amazon's descriptions.

The Attachment Connection: Parenting a Secure and Confident Child Using the Science of Attachment TheoryWritten by Ruth Newton PhD

This book discusses the facts about attachment parenting. It discusses why the first five years of development are key and how you can help your child grow up to be happy, secure, and confident. You'll learn about your child's brain development. You can buy it off Amazon or the Book Depository.

The Baby Book, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age TwoWritten by William Sears, Martha Sear, Robert Sears, and James Sears

Written by the famous Sears, this book discusses the questions that concern parents most: from eating, sleeping, development, health, comfort, and more. You can buy if off Amazon or the Book Depository.

Kids: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Raise Young Children
Written by Meredith F. Small
A follow-up to the book Our Babies, Ourselves, this book discusses how we raise our children. Scientific research on human evolution and biology is presented. The author talks about how parents can enhance or hold back the emotional and psychological growth of their children. You can buy it off Amazon or the Book Depository.

Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We ParentWritten by Meredith F. Small

This book suggests that we reconsider our culture's traditional views on parenting. You'll find out that somethings that are culturally done may not be the best for our children. Learn about babies sleeping alone, bottle vs. breastfeeding, how long you should wait to pick up a crying infant, and whether it's important to talk to your baby. It's an interesting book that challenges many of our beliefs about parenting. You can buy it on Amazon or the Book Depository.

The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your ChildWritten by Robert W. Sears

This book is fact-based and offers impartial data about vaccines. There is also an alternative vaccination schedule. Information about how common the disease is, what the ingredients in the vaccinations is, how serious the effects of the disease are, and what side effects the vaccine may cause are also covered. There is also information about Canadian vaccinations. You can buy it off Amazon or the Book Depository.

I offer
breastfeeding support that can be done in person, on the phone, or
via Skype. I can help with latch, positioning, knowing whether your
baby is hungry or getting enough milk, and common breastfeeding problems.

I've
been involved in the birthing field since early 2013. I am certified as
a childbirth educator, postpartum doula, breastfeeding counselor, and
Dunstan Baby Language Educator. The about me page contains more information about my training and experience.You can also see what people have said about my blog and services.

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

There are so many books out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Here are some books that consistently get good
reviews. The Book Depository has free shipping to Korea. What the Book in Itaewon can get most books for you. Amazon
might be a good option if you have someone coming to visit or can buy
the Kindle version of the book. The descriptions are based off of
Amazon's descriptions.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
Written by Elizabeth Pantley

While some people believe that you can either let your baby cry it out or constantly comfort them, there is a third choice and that's presented in this book. She will give you tips on what may be preventing your baby from going to sleep, how to work with your baby's natural sleep schedule, creating a customized plan for your baby, and how to teach your baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding, bottles, or a pacifier. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5Written by Jennier Waldburger and Jill Spivack

This book discusses the emotional needs of both the parent and the child. It's a family-friendly guide that will teach parents how to identify their child's sleep needs and create an individual sleep planner. There's also information about older children, such as moving to a big kid bed. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to CosleepingWritten by James J. McKenna

This book contains information on how to safely co-sleep with your baby. James McKenna is the world's authority on co-sleeping. You can buy it from Amazon or the Book Depository.

If you're looking for sanhujuriwons, which are traditional postpartum facilities in Korea, you can find out more here.

Dunstan Baby Language

Made famous by Oprah,
DBL has helped millions of parents around the world. Priscilla Dunstan discovered DBL (Dunstan Baby Language) shortly
after her son was born. With her photographic memory for sound she soon
discovered that all babies, no matter what their background or language,
make the same sounds which each have distinct meanings.

As a certified DBL instructor with Morning Calm Birthing Services, I will teach you how to interpret your baby's cries. Crying is instinctive and is an auditory response to a physical need. These
reflexes are used by healthy full-term babies around the world during the fourth trimester (0-3 months). Parents can learn to
distinguish the different cries and know what their baby needs.

Childbirth International

Medical Disclaimer

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the author is affiliated.